Fire-door.



M. GILMURE.

FIRE DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.31, 1912.

Patented NOV.4, 1913.

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M. GILMORE.

FIRE DOOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3l, 1912. I 1,077,468 Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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'UNITED STATES PALTENT OFFICE. i

MILLARD GILMORE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VARIETY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FIRE-DOOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 191s.

Application filed August 31, 1912. Serial No, 717,992.

T0 all lwhom '15 may concern Be it known that I, MILLARD GILMORE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specitication.

My invention relates to lire doors and the object is to provide a simplified arrangement by which an opening. such as a door opening or a window opening, in a building may be suitably protected when a redetermined degree of temperature as been reached.

My invention contemplates aconstruction by'which a flexible shutter is adapted to be closed in front of the opening, there being a suitable weight which is released after a predetermined temperature has been reached and which engages a bar at the lower end of `the shutter and forces the shutter into its downposition.

My invention will be clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an elevational view partly in section of the mechanism embodying the features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 1 and showing part of the mechanism in elevation.

The drawings show a lire-proof wall et in which there is an opening 5 which is adapted to be closed by a flexible shutter 6. At each side of the opening there are xedly secured a. plurality of structural shapes 7, 7 which form inner grooves 8 and intermediate grooves and outside grooves 10. The shutter 6 is provided at its lower end with an L- shaped member 11 on one side thereof and an L-shaped lmemberl 12 on the opposite side thereof. These L-shaped members are iixedi y secured to the lowerend of a curtain and are co ed off as shown in Fig. 2 so that the curtain and the upright portions of these.

L-shaped members engage in the grooves 10, 10. This flexible curtain is secured to a drum 18, as shownin Fig. 1, which drum is secured on the members 1d and 15 in any suitable manner. The members 14 and 15 are loosely mounted upon a shaft 16 which is supported in end bearings 17 and 18 suitably secured to the wall. The shaft 16 has keyed or otherwise .secured thereto a sleeve 19 to which is fastened a spring 20, the other end of which is secured to the member 15 as shown. Outside of the bearing 18 and secured to the shaft 16 there is provided a disk 21 which has a plurality of openings 22 in suitable lugs 23 extending from the disk. T his disk is adapted to be turned by inserting a suitable tool in the openings 22, this turning causing the desired amount of tension to be placed in the spring 20. After the desired tension has been secured, a pin 24 may be inserted through a lug 25 extend' ing fromthe end bearing and through one of the openings 22. This particular arrangement, it is obvious, makes itvery easy to secure any desired initial tension in the spring 20. This spring is for the purpose of counterbalancing the weight of the shut ter 6 and serves to hold the shutter in its normal or up position.

The end bearings 17 and 18 have secured thereto a housing 26, this housing also being secured to the wall 1, as shown.

My invention contemplates a construction in the form of a weight 27 which is held in a position above the L-shaped member 12 on the flexible lcurtain. This weight 27 is adapted to work in the intermediate grooves 9, 9 and is held in its normal position b v means of triggers 28 and y29 at each end thereof, which triggers are pivotally mounted on the weight and which have their ends engaging L-shaped members 8O and 31 extending from the structural shapes i', 7. As shown in the drawings, these L-shaped members are disposed in the'inside grooves 8, 8, although it is not absolutely` necessary that this particular arrangement be used. The triggers 28 and 29 have secured at their lower ends wires 31, 31 which are secured together by means of a fusible link, .32. The fusible link 32 is disposed so that when a predetermined degree of temperature has been reached it will melt, thus causing the triggers to rotate under the action of the weight, which Weight will drop down onto the t.shaped member 12, thus forcing the curtain into its down position esv and closing the opening 5. The weight is suiicient to overcome the initial tension placed in the spring 20 as well as the tension of the spring as the drum -13 rotates. It is understood, of course, as the curtain is lowered the tension of the spring 20 increases a certain amount so that as the curtain is lowered with the weight against the bar or L-shaped member 12, the spring will cause the curtain to travel somewhat slower as it reaches its lowermost position. As shown in Fig. 3, the weight is held slightly above the bar 12 so that'when the weight is released after the melting of the fusible link 32, it will strike the bar 12 so as to start the shutter 16 in its downward course and as the weight carries the shutter downwardly the spring 20 gradually increases in tension until 'the maximum tension has been reached when the shutter completely closes the opening 5'. The weight, however, is heavy enough to just overcome the tension of the spring when the bars 11 and 12 are in their lowermost position.

This arrangement provides apparatus whereby the opening is closed automatically upon the attainment' of a predetermined amount of temperature such as in the case of a fire occurrmg in the vicinity.

After the door has closed and it becomes desirable to raise the shutter, the weight 27 may be blocked. up on the bar 12 and the shutter then may be raised by grasping the handles provided. After the shutter; and weight are in their raised position, the triggers 28 and 29 may be rotated and a new fusing link put in so that the weight 27 is securely held in place, after which the blocks may be removed by slightly lowering the shutter, after which the tension ot' the spring 20 will maintain the bar 11 against the stops 33 arranged at each side and secured to the structural shapes. Instead of raising the weight 27 by blocking it up on the L-shaped member 12, this weight may be raised separately and secured in position before the shutter is raised.

It will be noted particularly in Fig. 2 that the grooves are large enough and have sufficient clearance so that there will be no chance for a binding action occurring.

While I have herein shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and'scope of my invention.

That I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a drum, supports for said drum, a flexible metal shutter secured to said drum and adapted to close an opening when in its down position, spring mechanlsm inside ot said drum to form counterbalancing means, a bar secured to the free end of said shutter, guides on each side of the opening for the bar, a weight associated with said shutter, guides for said weight, a lever pivoted to said weight, a rest for said lever, a :fuse connected with said lever and adapted when melted to permit the weight to engage the bar and thus lower the door to close th'e opening.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a drum, supports for said drum, a flexible metal shutter lsecured to said drum and adapted to close an opening when 1n its down position, spring mechanism inside of said drum to form counter-balancing means, a ledge on said shutter, a weightl independent of said shutter vand normally out of engagement with said ledge, levers pivoted to said weight, engaging members :for said levers, and a wire connecting said levers and having a fuse associated therewith said fuse when melted causing said weight to drop onto the ledge and thus force the shut ter into its closed position, said weight also serving to maintain said shutter in such posltion.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a drum, supports for said drum, a iexible metal shutter secured to said drum' and adapted to close an opening when in its down position, means inside of said drum toform counterbalancing mechanism, a bar secured to the free end of said shutter, guides on each side of the opening for the bar, a weight associated with said shutter, guidesifor said weight, a movable member supported by said weight, a rest for said member, a fuse connected with said member and adapted to be melted to permit the weight to engage the door and thus lower the door to close the opening.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a drum, supports for said drum, a liexible metal shutter secured to said drum and adapted to close an opening when in its down position, mechanism inside of said drum to form counterbalancing means, a ledge on said shutter, a weight independent of said shutter and normali out of engagement with said ledge, mova le members supported by said weight, engaging devices for said members, and a wire connecting said members and having a fuse associated therewith, ysaid fuse when melted causing said weight to drop onto the ledge and thus force the shutter into its closed position, said weight also serving to maintain said shutter in such position.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a di'um, supports for said drum, a fiexible metal shutter secured to said drum and adapted to close an opening when in its down position, counterbalancing devices inside of said drum, a projection on the tree end of said shutter, guides for said shutter, a weight associated with said shutter, guides for said weight, a. movable mem- In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe ber supported by said weight, a restfor said my name this 28th day of August, A. D., member, and a. wire connected with said 1912.

member and havin@- a fuse associated there- MLLARD GILMORE. 5 with, said fuse wen melted causing said Witnesses:

weight to engage the projectionl so as to LEONARD W. NovANDER,

force the shutter into its closed position. LESLIE W. FRICKE. 

